For a man who acknowledges that his own shoe collection has always been excessive – and in truth, is now simply out of control - my collection of boots is surprisingly modest; one pair of black, and one pair of tan Chelsea boots. Generally speaking, boots, though comforting, cosy-looking and deliciously toasty, have never really appealed to me. Aside from a few rare (and generally very expensive) examples, the lace-up styles are not … [Read more...]
As I watched the chancellor of the exchequer explain the main points of the government’s long-awaited spending review on TV the other day, what struck me most was not the scale of the spending cuts, which I (and probably most people) had expected, but the state of some of the male politicians who booed and yaared around him. Even though Britain practically invented the modern suit, and has some the world’s best tailors, its politicians … [Read more...]
I imagine anybody who has designs on producing clothes will at some point suffer niggling doubts. The one that gets me from time is can I keep coming up with new ideas? They say there’s no such thing as an original idea. That’s not strictly true of course. There is originality in high fashion, but sending men down the catwalk in sequin caftans, Bermuda shorts and hobnail boots is of no interest to me. But even classically minded … [Read more...]
Ideally, all advice should be seasonal. The weather report is the perfect example of why words of wisdom have a time as well as a place; no one wants to know how sunny it’s going to be in June in the dark hours of December. I have always considered that the fashion world is in a constantly unreal and very disagreeable state; reviewing summer clothing in winter, writing about furs in the heat of June. Awful. Sartorial advice should preferably … [Read more...]
Michael Anton (writing under the pseudonym Nicholas Antongiavanni) wrote in The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men's Style that “since tailored clothing can make a man look either rakish or ridiculous, as well as shorter or taller or fatter or thinner, it is necessary for him to choose models, fabrics, and patterns that flatter his shape while minimizing its defects.” While the man of average height and weight can wear most anything … [Read more...]
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